1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector mounting structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known panel-mountable connector has a fixed housing mounted in a mount hole of a panel, a movable housing to be connected with the fixed housing and a waterproof grommet attached to the movable housing.
A lock arm formed in one housing interferes with a lock in the other housing and resiliently deforms in the process of connecting the two housings. A resilient restoring force of the lock arm causes a frictional force and produces a connection resistance. The lock arm resiliently restores when the two housings reach a properly connected state and engages the lock to hold the two housings together.
The grommet is held resiliently in contact with the panel around an opening area of the mount hole to display its waterproof function when the two housings are connected properly. Thus, connection resistance resulting from a resilient restoring force of the grommet is produced in the process of connecting the two housings in addition to the connection resistance resulting from the lock arm.
The connector may be structured so that the connection resistance resulting from the resilient restoring force of the grommet suddenly increases before the lock arm is restored resiliently to engage the lock. If a connecting operation is performed slowly, an operator may misjudge that the two housings have reached the properly connected state when the connection resistance resulting from the resilient restoring force of the grommet suddenly increases. In this case, there is a possibility that the operator finishes the connecting operation before the lock arm is restored resiliently to effect locking.
The present applicant proposed a connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,094 to solve this problem. This connector has an inertial locking structure for assuring a proper connecting operation. According to this structure, while the two housings are being connected, the lock arm collides with the lock to increase the connection resistance temporarily, thereby controlling the connecting operation.
If an operation force exceeding this connection resistance is given to the two housings, the lock arm is deformed resiliently to disengage from the lock. Thus, the connecting operation proceeds in a single a stroke. While the connecting operation proceeds at a stroke, connection resistance resulting from the resilient deformation of the lock arm and resistance resulting from the resilient deformation of the grommet are produced. However, the connecting operation proceeds with a force exceeding these connection resistances and the two housings reliably are connected properly.
The inertial locking structure requires an operation of giving the operation force exceeding the connection resistance resulting from the collision of the lock arm and the lock, and this operation places a burden on the operator. Thus, if the number of connecting operations performed by the operator is small, the burden on the operator is small even if the inertial locking structure is employed. However, the burden on the operator can be large.
The present invention was developed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to enable a connecting operation of two connector housings to be completed without placing a burden on an operator.